I figure it is only fair to do a quick follow-up to yesterday's post. So many of you took the time to respond with pictures and videos that inspired and held my heart with care, compassion, and prayers.
I LOVE YOU!
Remember, it's for the wonder of THE ONE who came to make himself known to us, up close and personal. It is about love, compassion, mercy, grace, healing, comfort, wisdom, and JOY.
This has been a GOOD YEAR! Looking forward to an even better one...
In Christ, with Christ, for Christ!
and i understand if all the lights and the music fill you with warm sweet memories of love and expectation; the smells that mean home, hugs, pageantry; cookies and hot chocolate, presents and fa-la-la-la-la. if that is you, please ENJOY - wrap yourself in your warm blanket of comfort, joy, and peace.
BUT, please be mindful and compassionate of those of us who do not share in the "magic of christmas".
seldom do i recall a truly joyful event related to the holiday season. i do remember the drinking, the "parranda" -
incidentally, if any of these foreign words cause you some discomfort - you are entirely welcome. i meant to take you out of your comfort zone. type the word in your favorite search engine, and educate yourself. i had to. USA, did not come with a handy-dandy instruction manual. instead, foreigners are left at your shores, by whatever conveyance of transport, to flounder and attempt to navigate one the most convoluted, disgustingly biased, incredibly flawed, immigration systems on the planet. Most countries will be very upfront about whether or not they will welcome someone. the US planted a very unflattering looking woman at a major entry point declaring "give me your huddled masses yearning to be free", but they forgot to add the asterisk that will direct you to the very tiny print at the bottom, "only if you are melanin challenged, and can provide evidence of your pedigree. everybody else may come in but only if they agree to forfeit certain privileges, live in servitude, and pledge your children in perpetuity as the working class". but, i digress...what were we talking about? oh, yes the delusion of holiday merriment. no, im not saying you are deluded. i'm saying that i am brokenhearted by the illusion in which i was raised, that everything that came from Spain/US was patently so much better than anything home grown. Our language, traditions, culture, religion, everything and anything related to this time of year, has been imposed by others. i really do wish i could remember a time when a holiday tradition was not punctuated by some bizarre ritual or image that was so contrary to our tropical environment, to the natural foods in the island, to the sound of the sea, to the cool morning breeze in the mountains, to bright and beautiful flora that dominates the view and threatens to overtake anything manmade. yes, i am a romantic, an idealist... dare i to dream?
what happens when someone wants to break out of that tight mold of gifting expectations that demand a piece of paper that guarantees that the item was manufactured by someone other than yourself? i will tell you what happens, that precious spark of creativity and thoughtfulness is set aside and seen as having less value. it breaks the heart when you sense the look of disappointment or derision at a homespun item that is discarded or carelessly left behind. BUT... i do have a "happy box" filled with handwritten, hand drawn cards, doodles, and love notes from dear ones who understand my yen for the extraordinary, the unique, the simply joyful exchange of compassion that comes with each treasured item.
this year, i don't even have the energy to think about holiday decor, gift giving, travel, etc. i don't even have the resources to purchase materials for making presents. i'd like to think, and declare, that i invested this year's gift giving cash in visiting people, family, and friends, throughout the country, throughout the year. however, i don't even think that people would consider those visits as a gift of love and companionship, forging memories and relationships.
perhaps, i underestimate the strength of those bonds. frankly, i am just plain tired, exhausted, and not looking forward to this holiday season. can we just skip it? can we just finish the year quietly? may be that is what i will do. turn off, quiet down, tune out, wrap myself in a blanket of self-soothing comfort, being mindful of Holy Spirit presence and peace, no worry or anxiety about gifts and cards that i cannot afford, beginning the year in debt and financial concerns, spending energy in projects that are not appreciated nor bear fruit. Maybe, i'll start a new family tradition. Let's get out of our comfort zone, join another family in discomfort, and walk together into new possibilities, dreams, new beginnings.
so, i am appropriating this to do list... this is more my speed...
Another day, another turn of the page of this chapter in the series of chapters I call my life. This one does not seem to be particularly ev...
